Beatification set for Pope Paul VI

Pope Paul VI was "one of the most traveled popes in history and the first to visit five continents," according to the Vatican.

Pope Francis approved a decree Saturday to beatify Pope Paul VI, the Vatican said in a statement.

Beatification is considered a step toward sainthood.

The ceremony is expected to be held October 19, at the conclusion of a general assembly of bishops, the Vatican said.

Photos: From popes to saints 18 photos

Photos: From popes to saints18 photos

From popes to saints – Floribeth Mora of Costa Rica, who claims she was cured of a serious brain condition by a miracle attributed to the late Pope John Paul II, hands the relic of John Paul II to Pope Francis during the canonization Mass for Popes John XXIII and John Paul II at the Vatican on Sunday, April 27.

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Photos: From popes to saints18 photos

From popes to saints – Priests attend the canonization Mass for Popes John XXIII and John Paul II at the Vatican on April 27.

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Photos: From popes to saints18 photos

From popes to saints – Pilgrims crowd St. Peter's Square to attend the ceremony for the canonizations of Pope John XXIII and Pope John Paul II on April 27.

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Photos: From popes to saints18 photos

From popes to saints – Pope Francis leads the canonization Mass, in which John Paul II and John XXIII were declared saints, in Vatican City on April 27.

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Photos: From popes to saints18 photos

From popes to saints – A priest gives Holy Communion to a woman in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican on April 27.

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Photos: From popes to saints18 photos

From popes to saints – A large crowd gathers in St. Peter's Square for the canonization Mass for Popes John XXIII and John Paul II on April 27.

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Photos: From popes to saints18 photos

From popes to saints – Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI greets Sister Tobiana, the Italian nun who took care of Pope John Paul II until his last moments.

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Photos: From popes to saints18 photos

From popes to saints – A woman prays during the canonization Mass for Popes John XXIII and John Paul II on April 27.

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Photos: From popes to saints18 photos

From popes to saints – Pilgrims hold up a banner showing Pope John Paul II during the canonization Mass at the Vatican on April 27.

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Photos: From popes to saints18 photos

From popes to saints – Pope Francis leads the solemn ceremony at the Vatican on April 27.

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Photos: From popes to saints18 photos

From popes to saints – A card shows portraits of John XXIII, left, and John Paul II as pilgrims wait for the canonization ceremony to begin.

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Photos: From popes to saints18 photos

From popes to saints – Men dressed as centurions stand by a portrait of Pope John Paul II in Rome during the canonization Mass on April 27.

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Photos: From popes to saints18 photos

From popes to saints – A group of nuns attends the canonization of Popes John Paul II and John XXIII.

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Photos: From popes to saints18 photos

From popes to saints – Priests and pilgrims attend the canonization.

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From popes to saints – A man is wrapped in a flag bearing a picture of Pope John Paul II in St. Peter's Square.

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Photos: From popes to saints18 photos

From popes to saints – A woman reads a newspaper before the start of the canonization Mass on April 27.

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Photos: From popes to saints18 photos

From popes to saints – Sister Sancja readies the altar in God's Mercy sanctuary in Krakow, Poland, on April 27, for ceremonies celebrating the canonization of Polish-born Pope John Paul II.

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Photos: From popes to saints18 photos

From popes to saints – A boy dressed as a pope yawns as he joins a parade in Quezon, Philippines, on April 27 in celebration of the canonization of Pope John Paul II and Pope John XXIII.

Who is your patron saint? – St. Genesius is the patron saint of actors -- and of torture victims. Legend has it that Genesius converted to Christianity while performing a satirical play about Catholic sacraments. The Emperor Diocletian had him tortured and put to death.

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Photos: Who is your patron saint? 11 photos

Who is your patron saint? – St. Catherine of Bologna is the patron saint of artists -- and against temptations. (Is that a good or bad mix, we wonder?) Anyway, Catherine was the daughter of a rich and powerful man and so was trained in all the arts growing up. She gave them up to live a life of simple piety.

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Photos: Who is your patron saint? 11 photos

Who is your patron saint? – St. Thomas More is the patron saint of attorneys, but he was put to death for defying his powerful client: English King Henry VIII. Moore, an ardent Catholic, refused to go along with Henry's divorce of Queen Catherine and the subsequent separation of church and crown.

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Photos: Who is your patron saint? 11 photos

Who is your patron saint? – St. Augustine of Hippo is known for many things, including his foundational writings, which have influenced the church for centuries. Less well known, he's also the patron saint of brewers. So raise a glass to the fourth century saint on his feast day, August 28, or any day for that matter.

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Photos: Who is your patron saint? 11 photos

Who is your patron saint? – St. Gabriel the archangel is the patron saint of broadcasters. If you needed to announce big news in the Bible, from Daniel's prophecies to the conception of Jesus, Gabriel was your man.

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Photos: Who is your patron saint? 11 photos

Who is your patron saint? – St. Francis de Sales is the patron saint of scribes and of the deaf. He was a Catholic bishop in the heart of the Protestant Reformation -- 16th century Geneva -- which meant that he had to keep up a steady schedule of preaching and writing. His "Introduction to the Devout Life," was a runaway best-seller.

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Who is your patron saint? – St. Martha, depicted here serving Jesus, is the patron saint of waiters. The Bible says Jesus often visited Martha's home in Bethany, and once gently criticized her for busily making preparations when she should have been listening to his teachings.

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Who is your patron saint? – Why are so many hospitals named after St. Luke? Perhaps because he's the patron saint of doctors. In addition to being one of the New Testament's four evangelists, according to Christian tradition, the apostle Paul said he was also a doctor.

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Photos: Who is your patron saint? 11 photos

Who is your patron saint? – St. Martin of Porres, from Peru, is the patron saint of hairdressers. As a boy, he was apprenticed to a barber before joining the Dominican Order. The illegitimate son of a Spanish knight and a black woman, Martin is also the patron saint of people with mixed racial heritage.

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Photos: Who is your patron saint? 11 photos

Who is your patron saint? – St. Lawrence is the patron saint of cooks, for a macabre reason. Legend has it that when Lawrence was burnt at the stake he taunted his torturers by saying, "Turn me over, I'm well done!"

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The announcement came two weeks after Pope Francis canonized two others of his predecessors, John XXIII and John Paul II, in an unprecedented ceremony witnessed by huge crowds gathered in St. Peter's Square in Vatican City.

Paul VI became pope in June 1963 and died in August 1978. A Vatican bio calls him "one of the most traveled popes in history and the first to visit five continents."

The Catholic Church came out against the use of any type of contraceptives in 1968. In an encyclical letter to Catholics entitled Humanae Vitae, Pope Paul VI outlined the church's teaching on the matter.

"Therefore We base Our words on the first principles of a human and Christian doctrine of marriage when We are obliged once more to declare that the direct interruption of the generative process already begun and, above all, all direct abortion, even for therapeutic reasons, are to be absolutely excluded as lawful means of regulating the number of children," the letter reads.